Legislation came about in the 1860s that only allowed burials to take place in registered cemeteries. 

It became illegal to bury on private land and churchyards. Up until this time burials in Houghton took place around the Union Chapel's courtyard and this was getting full.

Cemetery Reserve was granted to the District of Highercombe to be used at all times as a Public Cemetery , on the 18 th July, 1864 .

The reserve consisted of two acres of land situated in the north east corner of section 5402. The early records of Houghton Cemetery were not kept in organised order. Allegedly the Burial Register Books were not accurate and did not clearly show the location of graves; plots supposedly owned by one family often got allocated to another. 

The first entry in the Records of  Deeds purchased was William Haines, who purchased a plot for his son Arthur Ephraim Haines. 

Arthur died on the 30 October 1858 , aged 15month of teething.

The three registrars whose handwriting shows in the Burial Book were:

William Squibb who was the curator of the cemetery from its establishment until 1885;

 John Gollop Jnr. who took over from Squibb until 1923

and Sidney T.J. Possingham who then became curator.

As the Certificate of Title reveals, in 1956, the Houghton cemetery was placed under the control of the District Council of Tea Tree Gully for twenty years until 1976 when it was annexed to the District Council Of Gumeracha.

The cemetery is still in use today.

Many early pioneers of the area were buried in this cemetery.

As this was part of the District of Tea TreeGully until 1976,

many of the names of early settlers are found here -

William Haines - Cooks - Newmans - Squibb, Warners and many more.